Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-14

/ financiers, and the lives of those who
| have made stir in the world. In the
library there is a splendid collection of
books of this character.
But by far the most interesting OF the
contents of the library is the very large
collection OF autograph letters from the
most distinguished men in America. They
date back fifty years and more ago, when
Sherman was first starting out in his ca
reer. When still q young man he con-
ceived the idea of keeping every letter he
received, and the result of this determin-
alton is that he has vast collection of
letters, covering every period in the Re-
public's history for the past quarter OF q
century. They are all carefully arranged
ard classified, and by the aid of 2 COM
prehersive index any one OF them
can be found at q moments no
tice. Should the Ohio senator
ever reach the goal tof which
he is a recognized aspirant, we may be
sure these letters will be of use to him
in paving off old scores. But though he
is the recipient OF so many letters, he
very rarely writes one and seems to have
taken to himself, as q rule, the old
adage "ncver write a letter and never
destroy one" II this adage had been
adopted BIZ many another statesman
what difference there might have been
in American history. 1t is question
what will become of these letters when
Sherr an dies. No doubt many of them
axe OF sensational interest, and should
they be published, a light may be thrown
on some facts in our public history that
that would be starting.
BY far the most interesting Of the many
letters would be those which have been
exchanged between the senator aud his
brother, the General. The two brothers
have always been the best of friends, and
not the smallest cloud OF discOrd hiss ever
come between them. And, by the way, it
is not generally known that the statesman
narrowly escaped being the soldier of the
family, aad vice verse. The father died
when John was ebout six years old, and
the general very little older. The family
were in poor circumstances, and Thomas
Ewing offered TO adopt one of the boys,
":he smartest and the best"
as he EXPRESSED it. i family cOun-
Gil was held, and il was decided that
"Cumpy" as the future soldier was
called, should be the one. SO the paths
of the two boys diverged. john studied
went to West Point and became the gen
eraI of the army. But 20 return to the
letters. The two brothers have cor
responded all their lives, and the senator
has every letter that the general ever
wrote MIN. There are thousands Of
them, pasted III four huge volumes, and
they contain history Of the sci
der brothers. life. in these days
when everything relating to the war
is in such grest demand, what a
feast ii would he t. read these letters.
They are addressed from every place I'M
der the sun. From school, from West
Point, from the plains when he was a
simple lieutenant then during the civil
war, before great movements, after
bloody battles, from headquarters, on 3
drum head, and from every conceivable
place aud under every conceivable elf
cumstance, and they we're written, NOT
for the public, hut for his second self and
everything was told ami nothing kept
back. No doubt one of these days they
will all be published, and certainly they
will form most interesting contribution
to the history Of the War.
The domestic life and personal habits
of the Distinguished senator are remark
sble for their regularity and methed.
Nothing can be simpler than his home
life. As we have said ne is another man
in priyat lie from what he Is in his pub
lie cGpacity. He arises shout in tie
morning and Immediately has his break
fast. He then reads the morning
pap RS aud attends 10 his personal
correspondence. Bv this time it is